Dispenser for cylindrical articles and the like e.g. bottles and cans



Oct. 12, 1965 F. BETTINI DISPENSER FOR GYLINDRICAL ARTICLES AND THE LIKE E.G. BOTTLES AND CANS Filed Aug. 6, 1962 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,211,328 DISPENSER FOR CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES AND THE LIKE E.G. BOTTLES AND CANS Franco Bettini, Bergamo, Italy, assignor to Fida S.p.A., Milan, Italy Filed Aug. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 214,983 Claims priority, application Italy, Aug. 4, 1961, 14,395/ 61 3 Claims. (CL 22l67) This invention relates to a dispenser for cylindrical articles and the like, e.g., bottles and cans.

Dispensers for such articles have been proposed which include a hopper adapted to contain two columns of the articles, the internal width of the hopper being smaller than the sum of the widths of the articles in the two columns whereby these articles are staggered in height. In other words, the longitudinal axes of the articles in the two columns lie in difierent horizontal planes.

Many contrivances have been devised to permit the delivery of the articles one at a time, but in general these have been unsatisfactory since they have been complicated in design and relatively difiicult to maintain in service.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispenser.

The invention comprises a dispenser for articles, such for example as bottles, having a hopper within which the articles are supported in tWo staggered upright columns, the internal width of the hopper being such that said articles in one column are constrained to extend into spaces between adjacent articles in the other column, and including two shutters hinged at the lower end of the hopper, the two shutters being operable alternately so that whilst one shutter is open to permit the passage of an article from the column thereabove, the other shutter is closed and serves to support the remaining articles.

In order that the invention can be fully understood a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a part-sectional front view of a dispenser according to the invention through the line II in FIG. 3;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article-supporting shutters and their associated linkage;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the dispenser through the line IIIIII in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cam.

Referring now to the drawings the dispenser comprises a box-shaped housing, not shown, having a plurality of substantially vertical hoppers A defined by walls 1. Two vertical columns of bottles 2, 2, 2", 2" etc., are arranged in a staggered array within the walls of each hopper. The load of both of the columns of bottles rests upon the lowest bottle 2, which is supported, by one of two shutters 3, 3', which are alternately operated by a cam 13. In FIG. 1, the bottle 2 is supported by the horizontally located closed shutter 3, while the shutter 3 is in a vertical, or open position. When the cam 13 is rotated, the shutter 3 is swung downwardly about a hinge pin 6, whilst the shutter 3 is swung upwardly, whereby the bottle previously supported by the shutter 3 is allowed to fall down into an outlet chute (not shown). The bottle 2', which was previously located directly above and to the side of the now delivered bottle 2, then comes to rest against the shutter 3. By further rotation of the cam, the previously described operations are repeated in a reversed sequence which thus results in the delivery of the bottle 2.

Both of the shutters 3 and 3 are respectively hinged on pins 6 and 6 on tubular members 4 and 4 from which the pins extend outwardly in order to accommodate a bush 6a to which is connected a cranked lever 7. Each of the cranked levers 7 is adjacent to its free end, pivotally connected by a pin 9 to a lever 8, and the levers 8 are in turn pivotably connected by pins 10 to ears 5 and 5 on the repective shutters. A rotatable cam follower 12 is fitted on a pin 11 secured at an intermediate point along each crank lever 7, namely, at a position adjacent to the respective lever 8. Each shutter 3, 3 is provided with a similar linkage, and the cam followers 12 are staggered as shown in the drawing.

The two cam followers 12 engage with the surf-aces of the cam 13 and are alternately elevated thereby. In particular, as one cam follower engages with a forward cam surface 13a the other cam follower engages with a rearward cam surface 13b which at this time is located at a higher level than the first cam follower. Subsequently, these positions are reversed. Both forward and rearward cam surfaces are similarly shaped and one is displaced from the other by Thus, when one cam follower 12 is engaged with the straight surface of the cam the other cam follower is engaged with the curved surface of the cam. The cam 13 may be made of one piece only, or it may consist of two components joined together. The cam is provided with a boss 14 which can be fastened by a screw 15 on to an output shaft 16 of a reduction gear 17, coupled in turn to an electric motor 18. The output shaft is supported by a front wall portion 21 of the hopper A. The motor-reduction gear unit 17, 18 is connected to a flange plate 22, which in turn is supported by arms 19. The arms 19 are secured to brackets 23 extending from the side walls 1.

In the case in which the dispenser includes a plurality of hoppers, each hopper is fitted with its own motor-reduction gear unit which is independently operable whereby, in case of failures or malfunctions in a hopper, the latter hopper is the only one to be put out of service. Further, there exists the possibility of being able to repair this hopper on the spot without having to stop the operation of the rest of the dispenser, by reason of the simplicity of the components of which the dispenser is made.

With the above arrangement a very small electric motor 18 will be sufiicient to operate the shutters since the motor only has to bring the downwardly swung shutter back into its closed position, in other words, with the aid of the cam, it brings this shutter from its vertical position to its substantially horizontal position, and it is to be noted that there is no load on the said shutter while it is being swung back.

It will be readily appreciated that different pressures will be exterted on the two can1 followers while the cam is being rotated, since only the shutter to be swung downwardly is loaded by the bottles and the weight of these bottles tends to maintain the cam follower against its cam surface, thereby making it more easy for the shutter to be swung downwardly and allow the delivery of the lowest bottle in the hopper. In other words, the weight of these bottles assists in swinging down the shutter for the delivery of lowest bottle, but this weight is not effective upon said shutter when it is being swung back in its closed position.

I claim:

1. A gravity-feed article dispenser comprising, in com- :bination, an upright hopper for housing the articles in a stack of two columns, the inside width of the hopper being smaller than the sum of the widths of two articles in different columns whereby the articles are stacked in a staggered array; two shutters hinged at the lower end of said hopper; and means for alternately operating said shutters to permit the passage therethr-ough of one of the articles at each operation thereof, said means comprising a first linkage connected to one of said shutters, a second linkage connect-ed to the other of said shutters, ea-ch linkage including a first lever having two ends and pivotally mounted at one end thereof about the axis on which one of said shutters is hinged, and a second lever pivotally connected to and located between the other end of said first lever and the other shutter, said means for operating the shutters further comprising a cam common to said linkages, means for rotating said cam, and means on each of said linkages bearing on the surface of the cam, the rotation of the cam effecting the alternate operation of the shutters and the two shutters alternately supporting the weight of both columns of articles.

2. A gravity feed article dispenser comprising, in combination, an upright hopper for housing the articles in a stack of two columns, the inside width of the hopper being smaller than the sum of the widths of two articles in different columns whereby the articles are stacked in a staggered array; two shutters hinged at the lower end of said hopper; and means for alternately operating said shutters to permit the passage therethrough of one of the articles at each operation thereof, said means comprising a first linkage connected to one of said shutters, a second linkage connected to the other of said shutters, each linkage including a cranked lever having two ends and pivotally mounted at one end thereof about the axis on which one of said shutters is hinged, and a further lever pivotally connected to and located between the other end of said cranked lever and the other shutter, said means for operating the shutters further comprising a cam common to said linkages, means for rotating said cam, and means on each of said linkages bearing on the surface of the cam, the rotation of the cam effecting the alternate operation of the shutters and the two shutters alternately supporting the weight of both columns of articles.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means on each of said linkage-s bearing on said cam includes a rotatable cam follower which bears on the surface of the cam.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,103,367 12/37 Hoban 2211l5 2,615,773 10/52 Holt et a1 22167 2,835,409 5/58 Rankin 2721-67 2,956,661 10/60 Radcliffe 221-67 X 2,980, 288 4/61 Hunter 2'21--67 3,107,812 10/63 Payne et a1 22167 3,107,813 10/63 Payne et a1 221-67 3,146,907 9/64 BOokout 221-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 844,600 8/60 Great Britain.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner. 

1. A GRAVITY-FEED ARTICLE DISPENSER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPRIGHT HOPPER FOR HOUSING THE ARTICLES IN A STACK OF TWO COLUMNS, THE INSIDE WIDTH OF THE HOPPER BEING SMALLER THAN THE SUM OF THE SIDTHS OF TWO ARTICLES IN DIFFERENT COLUMNS WHEREBY THE ARTICLES ARE STACKED IN A STAGGERED ARRAY; TWO SHUTTERS HINGED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID HOPPER; AND MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY OEPRATING SAID SHUTTERS TO PERMIT THE PASSAGE THERETHROUGH OF ONE OF THE ARTICLES AT EACH OPERATION THEREOF, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST LINKAGE CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID SHUTTERS, A SECOND LINKAGE CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID SHUTTERS, EACH LINKAGE INCLUDING A FIRST LEVER HAVING TWO ENDS AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END THEREOF ABOUT THE AXIS ON WHICH ONE OF SAID SHUTTERS IS HINGED, AND A SECOND LEVER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO AND LOCATED BETWEEN THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST LEVER AND THE OTHER SHUTTER, SAID MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SHUTTERS FURTHER COMPRISING A CAM COMMON TO SAID LINKAGES, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CAM, AND MEANS ON EACH OF SAID LINKAGES BEARING ON THE SURFACE OF THE CAM, THE ROTATION OF THE CAM EFFECTING THE ALTERNATE OPERATION OF THE SHUTTERS AND THE TWO SHUTTERS ALTERNATELY SUPPORTING THE WEIGHT OF BOTH COLUMNS OF ARTICLES. 